In some networking environments, communication networks may be formed when multiple interoperable nodes communicating over a shared medium detect the existence of other nodes. One example of such a network is a network that operates in accordance to the Media over Coax Alliance (“MoCA”) MAC/PHY Specification v. 1.0. In this network, nodes may function as “clients” or “slave” nodes, or as “master”/“network controller”/“network coordinator” (“NC”) nodes. A network will typically have a single NC node and any number of client nodes, and the NC node may transmit beacons and other control information to manage the network.
Upon power application or resetting, nodes may scan the available range of possible frequencies to determine where to operate, searching for signals from an NC node. If an NC node signal is found, indicating an existing network, a node may join the existing network. Joining a network involves a node following the protocol specified for network admission. Joining generally involves receiving network information transmitted by the NC node, determining time slots in which to transmit a network admission request, and sending a network admission request, including an identifying message on a designated time slot. The requesting node receives acknowledgement from the NC node for admission to the network. If an existing network is not found, the node may establish a network at a specific frequency by operating as an NC node and waiting for other nodes to detect its presence and join the network.
In order to optimize a network, the network characteristics between each set of nodes typically needs to be determined. As the number of nodes in a network grow larger, the task of determining the characteristics of every possible link takes more and more time. This process acts as network overhead and slows the primary function of the network, which is to exchange digital data between nodes.